After months of meetings and briefings, the City Council on Thursday approved CPS Energy's request for a 4.25 percent increase in gas and electric rates.

The 8-2 vote — District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran and District 10 Councilman Carlton Soules opposed the measure — means the rate boost will take effect in February, increasing the average CPS residential bill by $4.68 to $141.52.

“Nobody ever likes a rate increase. However, one of the basic building blocks of a prosperous community is that you get the basics of quality of life right,” said Mayor Julián Castro, who also serves as an ex-officio member of the city-owned utility's board of trustees. “And one of the most basic things the city needs to get right is the provision of electricity.”

This was the first rate increase that CPS had asked the council to approve in more than three years.

The utility has said it may need two more rate increases over the next five years — a projected 5.25 percent increase that would take effect in 2016 and 4.5 percent in 2018 — to pay for maintenance and infrastructure investments.

Soules said he was concerned the utility's pledge to generate 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 was pushing rates higher.

CPS CEO Doyle Beneby assured him t wasn't the case, and said investments in more environmentally friendly energy sources would help save money by making it easier for the utility to comply with tightening pollution rules.

CPS' case for the rate hike was complicated by controversies — over bonuses, executive compensation and a solar-energy deal — the utility has had to deal with this year.

The utility announced two significant changes to its incentive pay program, which paid out nearly $33 million over the past two years, that effectively halved the size of the program.

A San Antonio Express-News investigation into compensation at the utility earlier this year reignited public anger over the utility's bonuses and how they are awarded.

In the process of requesting the rate increase, utility officials first defended the program, pointing out it accounted for less than a penny of every dollar that CPS spends.

It also previously had argued the incentive pay was an essential part of its effort to attract and retain talent.

However, in September, CPS announced it would divert up to $4 million from the bonuses to expand programs that assist low-income ratepayers with their electric bills.

Later, CPS initiated a second round of cuts to the program, saying they would cut it by another $4 million and defer some capital projects to reduce the size of the rate increase from 4.75 percent to 4.25 percent.

District 7 Councilman Cris Medina, a critic of CPS' bonus program, applauded the utility from the dais for making the changes.

“I do want to thank you all for being open and transparent, listening to the concerns this council has had,” he said. “I know we've had some tough questions... in particular in regard to the bonus program.”